


A Little Ice Cream

by CandyKitten



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dad!Billy, Dad!Steve, Dad!Tommy, Future Fic, Ice Cream, Kid Fic, M/M, POV Tommy Hagan, Parenthood, The Park, Tommy centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26799790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandyKitten/pseuds/CandyKitten
Summary: A self-loathing, freshly divorced Tommy in his late 30s encounters some old friends from his teenage years. Steve Harrington and Billy Hargrove.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 10
Kudos: 187





	A Little Ice Cream

Tommy is walking through the park when he sees a man pushing a little girl with a head of curly brown hair on the swings. She’s about six or seven and wearing a little blue sun dress. There’s something about the guy though. His thick sweeping head of hair, his nose, the shape of his face.

“Steve?”

The man looks up, he searches Tommy’s face for a few seconds, as if scourging through mental files.

“Tommy?” He asks. Then his face breaks out into a painfully familiar smile. “Hey, man!”

Tommy wants to sink into the ground. Steve Harrington is looking him in the face, smiles and all, as if they were old friends again. As if the last thing Tommy said hadn’t been some homophobic bullshit. As if the ugly hurt that’d crossed Steve’s face back then had all been part of some kinda dream.

“Yeah,” Tommy says, voice cracking a little bit. He coughs into his fist, clearing his throat, “I uh, It’s been a while, huh?”

“A hot minute,” Steve says, still smiling back at Tommy, still thinking he’s clever and cute or whatever. He might be. Just a bit though.

“Daddy push!” The little girl wails. The sight of Tommy seems to have put a pause on Steve’s swing pushing duty, apparently, and that didn’t fly with her.

“Okay okay, geez.” Steve says, resuming. “You could ask nicely you know.”

“Daddy push more puh-lease!” She says. Steve chuckles at her but continues to grapple and shove the chains.

Tommy spots his wedding band, catching in the light. “So you married and all now eh?”

“Yeah,” Steve says. “Didn’t you hear? I- oh, you found it!?” Steve’s attention turns to a young boy walking towards them, he’s holding a little airplane, the flying kind with the little rotor on the front and everything. He’s got straight dark hair, cut short, and moles scattered on his face.

“Yeah,” He smiles, a little out of breath, holding up the plane. “Up in a tree.” At Steve’s suddenly panicked face he says real slow, “A _short_ tree.” The boy takes a seat on the empty swing between Tommy and Steve. He looks at Tommy, with big dark brown eyes, almost black. “Who’s this?”

“An old schoolmate of mine.” Steve says. As if him and Steve hadn’t been best friends since they were five years old, until Tommy fucked it all up that night nearly two decades ago. Then Steve gives the boy a pointed look, “Well?” Steve asks, “Are you gonna introduce yourself?”

The boy sighs at Steve, then turns to Tommy, “Hi, my name is Daniel. Daniel Harrington.” He says flatly. “I’m eleven years old, my favourite color is orange,” He continues, as if the bright fanta colored shirt wasn’t a dead give away, “I love swimming and when I grow up, I want to be a pilot.” He finishes, sounding very much like he’d just been forced to tell the class about himself.

Steve narrows his eyes at Daniel, “You think you’re real cute huh.”

Daniel shrugs, “Papa thinks so.” He says under his breath.

“ _Hey_ ,” Steve’s tone is telling of a long kind of suffering. “I heard that!”

Tommy decides to save Steve from any more distress; he knows the feeling very well. “Hey, ah, it’s nice to meet you Daniel. My name’s Tommy.”

Daniel looks up at him, “Oh, cool. My middle name is Thomas.” That makes Tommy seize up. He doesn't know how to describe what he’s feeling. He doesn’t have to think for long though as Daniel says, “After my grandpa.” The boy pulls a pamphlet out of his back pocket and begins to read.

Oh. Right. Tommy remembers vaguely, a Papa Thomas. He can’t really remember if it’s a Thomas Harrington or a Thomas Greenwood though. But he remembers.

“This little spitfire is Daisy,” Steve says, gesturing to the little girl he’s been pushing on the swing. “Don’t let the cute name fool you, she’s a menace.”

“I’m not a menace, I'm six!”

Steve gives Tommy a very pointed look, as if to say, ‘See what I mean?’ Tommy chuckles. 

“My favourite color is yellow!” She continues, only speaking when she swings forward again, “I like dancing!” Swing. “When I grow up,” Swing. “I wanna be a boxer!” Swing. “Kick names!” Swing. “Take names!” Swing. “And ass too!”

“Jesus Christ.” Steve mutters.

Tommy barks out laughing. It takes him by surprise too. He had really been feeling shitty today, seeing Steve just made going down memory lane worse. And Harrington’s little girl was here making him laugh. Steve doesn’t double over like he almost does but he smiles and shakes his head.

“So, uh, what’re you up to?” Steve asks when Tommy finishes laughing like a goon.

“Oh, right.” He stands up, propping against the metal pole of the swing. “I’m here with my kid too. Uh, Bryce.” Tommy explains. He looks around, “He’s… somewhere.” Tommy shrugs, “I’m not actually just here to lure brats into my van, contrary to popular belief. I uh, don’t have a van.”

Steve cracks up, even though the joke wasn’t that funny. But it still makes Tommy feel good, knowing that he could still make Steve Harrington laugh like that. He mostly does it to deflect from talking about his own kid though. The kid he’s supposed to be spending quality time with during his visitation rights hours. The kid that had split as soon as they got here because he couldn’t stand his own father’s stupid dumb face for too long.

“How old is he?” Steve doesn’t fall for deflections like before though. Must come with age or some shit.

“Thirteen.” Tommy answers.

“Oh, that’s great, how’s-” Steve starts then stops, thankfully, before Tommy can recoil from the conversation. 

Walking towards them is none other than goddamn Billy Hargrove. Looking just as good as he did during high school, if not better. He seems larger somehow, walking up in his aviators, a different pair from high school obviously, with a small kid on his shoulder. 

He’s wearing jeans, not as tight as he did before, but just enough. Tommy guesses he could call them _‘dad jeans’_ because that’s what he looks like right now. Large plaid button up, only one side tucked in, looking all askew with leaves in his updone hair and probably making all the moms in the near vicinity cream their pants. Haha. His buttons are all almost undone, classic, but he’s wearing a white vest or something underneath. 

The little toddler he’s carrying is asleep, her head full of blond curls. Some of Billy’s own long hair is falling out of his messy bun, cascading to merge perfectly with hers. Her little arms are wound loosely on Billy’s shoulders.

“Hey,” Steve gestures to the girl, “Where’d you find that one?”

Billy smiles. “In some bushes, eatin’ some kinda berries.” Billy tilts his head dismissively, “Don’t worry though, they ain’t poisonous, I ate some.”

Steve’s eyes turn to saucers, “WHAT.” Tommy remembers this tone. Back when Steve had become an adoptive teen dad to a gaggle of children. They hadn’t been friends anymore but in a small town you couldn’t exactly avoid someone. He remembers watching Steve from a distance, in his Mr. Mom hysteria sometimes, going off like a mother hen. Finding Steve pathetic. Maybe if he had taken a page from Steve’s book back then he’d’ve been a better dad now.

“What?” Danny echoes on a less hysterical scale, “And you didn’t bring me any?”

“No, I did.” Billy says, reaching into his pocket.

Steve sticks out a hand to stop Billy from possibly suicide pacting with a bunch of children, “Oh my god, no!”

Daisy shrieks, “I want berries!”

“Billy!” Steve reprimands, on a solid level five on the Mr. Mom scale.

Billy laughs, “It’s fine, they were blackberries.”

“Ugh,” Steve says. “Tommy’s here, by the way.”

Billy turns to him, slides his shades onto his head with his free hand, squints. “Hagan?”

“Yeah,” Tommy answers, quiet, unexpectant.

“Holy shit,” Billy breathes. “You look, real different man.” He takes the shades off and tucks them into his shirt pocket. “Ah, in a good way,” It’s a lie Tommy can appreciate.

“Uh, thanks.” Tommy says, “You too,”

Steve scoffs, “As if.” He sticks a hand toward Billy while looking at Tommy, “He looks like, exactly the same!”

Billy grins his shark grin, “Green ain’t your color Stevie.”

Steve gasps dramatically, “You-” There's the sound of music in the distance; a chiming little tune. 

“DAD!” Daniel exclaims. “CAN WE GET ICE CREAM?”

“ICE CREAM!” Daisy echoes. The two of them launch into a tirade. “ME TOO, ME TOO!”

“Okay okay,” Steve cuts across. “Relax, alright, I’m going, geez.” Before Steve can even take a step the two of them dash off in direction of the truck across the field. 

Tommy eyes the girl who, by some work, is still asleep on Billy’s broad chest. “Sleeps like the dead don’t she?” Billy grins at Tommy. “Just like her _old man_.” Steve shoots Billy a look, but he smiles, and stalks off behind his children.

Billy takes a step, “I almost didn’t recognise ya man, what you been up to?” Billy asks, as he walks over to the nearby bench. He sits with his back to the table and props an elbow up. Tommy takes this as an invitation to sit next to him. Before Tommy can answer Billy keeps talking, “You livin’ here now?”

“Nah, I’m in just town for the weekend.” Tommy says. “Your girl’s real cute.” He deflects.

Billy smiles, “And she knows it too, the brat.” It works. Billy chuckles lightly, as if careful not to jostle her. “Got everyone wrapped around her itty bitty fingers.” He wiggles his fingers in emphasis. “Her name’s Ann-Marie. We call her Annie.”

Annie cracks her eyes open at the sound of her name, a deep sea blue. She blinks bleary and slow at Tommy. “She looks like you.” Tommy says.

Billy shoots him a grin, and it’s so goddamn wholesome it hurts, “You think so?” He cranes his neck to peek at her, “She wake up or somethin’?”

“Yeah,” Tommy says. 

Annie blinks at Tommy once more before turning her head, pressing her nose against Billy’s neck. “Yeah, I wouldn’t wanna fall asleep to such an ugly mug either.” Billy jokes, stroking a hand on her back.

“Hey!” Tommy laughs. Billy grins brightly at him. It almost feels like old times. “Tell me, Hargrove-”

Billy’s brows furrow at him, in the same way he did when Tommy said something a little too stupid about some kid at school. “Uh, you know, that’s not my name anymore, man.”

Oh. “Oh.” Well Tommy wouldn’t want to carry the same of his abusive old man either. “Right. Uh, my bad.”

Billy turns away and glances across the park. Tommy feels more stupid than usual. He tries to steer the conversation away, “So ah, who’s the lucky lady?” Tommy asks, pointing with his chin to Billy’s hand on Annie’s back, a gold band amongst his silvers.

“What?” Billy asks, the ‘Tommy is a retard’ look coming back again. “Uh, did you forget the part where I’m gay?”

Okay, so. No, Tommy doesn't remember that. It might have leaked out of his brain when Billy had cracked his skull open though. “Sorry,” Tommy blurts real smooth. “I didn’t mean-”

A scream cuts across them. Daisy is dashing towards them, her dress flat against her legs. She’s breathing heavy as she leans and props herself on the bench. “I,” She exhales, “I ain’t a rotten egg!” She squeals triumphantly. She exhales again, grunting heavily like an old man, and hoists herself up on the other side of the bench behind Tommy and Billy. 

She’s pulling a cup out of her white plastic bag as Daniel walks up and sits next to her, hand in his pocket, real chill, licking his pink and white cone, as if he hadn’t been running too.

Steve plops down next to Billy, hoisting a leg up, his knee poking Billy’s thigh. “I guess I am.” He says, smiling. He’s handing a bag to Tommy. “I don’t know what your kid likes,” He says. “I got safe flavours though.” 

Tommy blinks once before coming to his senses, he’s tripping over his words, as he takes the bag. He feels like an outsider suddenly. The three of them could be meeting up on the regular, each with their own kids. Maybe if his own kid were here, then they could be having a good old triple dad date. But he’s not. A good dad.

“Oh, uh, thanks man, you didn’t g-” 

Annie lifts her head, her sleepy little voice saying, “Iceskeem?” She spots Steve with his cup cone. “DADDY ICESKEEM!” She hollers, practically flying off of Billy.

“Ok ok Jesus.” Billy rasps, trying his best to prevent her from falling off. He guides her as she scrambles over to Steve. She settles into Steve’s lap, right in the space made by Steve’s bent leg. She stares up at Billy innocently with big eyes as she spoons ice cream into her mouth from the cup Steve gives her.

Billy crosses his _still_ very strong arms, “A guy only crawls through a BUSH with _THORNS_ for a gal,” He says at her, “and she leaves him for the pretty, _rich boy_ with ICE CREAM,”

Steve laughs into his soft serve, plucks a leaf from Billy’s hair. Annie only blinks at him before shovelling another big blue scoop into her little red mouth, unbothered. 

Billy leans over and looks her right in the eyes and says, “You better not be lettin’ all the boys buy you over that easy,”

“Oh my god.” Steve says laughing, shoving Billy away with a hand on Billy’s forehead. “You’re too much.”

Billy cackles and sits upright. He cranes his neck backward, “Watchu get me Donna?”

Daisy rifles through her bag. “Cookie dough, duh.” She says, sliding the cup over.

Billy grins, “You are so sweet.” He teases, tone flat, as he cracks open his cup.

She grins a devious grin. “Sweeter than cherry pie?” She asks, very sweetly.

Billy’s eyebrows disappear into his hair, he points his spoon at her, “Ay!” 

Steve laughs heartily, “Billy, calm down,” He turns to Daisy, “Cut that out.” He says, trying to be stern over a poorly hidden smile.

Daisy makes her eyes go real big at Steve. She looks back down to her ice cream real innocent like and scoops some mint chocolate chip into her mouth. Daniel, meanwhile, is trying to hide his snickering by biting into his cone.

Tommy wants to ask about the cherry pie incident but decides against it. Maybe if they were still friends he’d know, he’d have the right, then.

Steve hands Annie his now half empty cone. She takes it wordlessly and chomps down on it. Annie eats most of the wide head of the cup and hands it back. Billy pokes her in the knee. “Fanks, daddy,” She says, automatic.

Then it hits Tommy like a truck. Well, it really shouldn’t. He notices how Annie’s eyes are a dark blue, grey blue, unlike Billy’s ocean clear ones. How her hair is lighter than his, much more straight. Even though she hasn’t grown into her face yet, her nose is flatter and thinner, no bridge. Billy’s is rounder and stoic. He sees how Daisy’s hair is lighter than Steve’s, her honey brown eyes. Daniel’s dark features, darker than Steve’s. Different. 

He feels like a piece of gum under someone’s shoe, a shoe that also stepped in a pile of shit. He was giving the benefit of the doubt, and feels like an asshole that he did; that he did think that it was a benefit. That maybe it was just a phase; that Steve grew out of it and settled down nice and proper. Tommy wants to clobber himself. How could it be a phase? His ignorance still seeps through his colander brain no matter how hard he tries to keep it in.

It all makes sense now. He’s such an idiot.

“You’re welcome, tinkerbell,” Steve says gently, pats her hair.

“You ain't lost your kid, did ya?” Billy asks suddenly, snapping Tommy out of his revelation. Billy actually looks concerned.

“Uh,” Tommy says, “no, he usually likes to play on the monkey bars.” The monkey bars, alone, across the entire park basically, far away from Tommy. He needs to deflect again. He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet, takes out a photograph, “This is him,” He says.

Steve reaches over and takes it before Billy can, “Oh my god!” He laughs, “He looks just like Carol!”

“What?” Billy grabs Steve’s wrist to see. “No way. _Oh shit!”_

Annie stands to peep at the photo, “Oh shit!” She parrots.

“Oh, Jesus,” Steve covers her mouth, “You can’t say that!”

Billy looks at Steve, “Maybe with a l’il awareness,” He looks at her and says, “But not in front of other people, right?” He looks at Tommy, “You can say it in front of Tommy though, right Tommy?” Billy grins at him, licks his teeth.

Tommy looks at Steve. Steve has his brows raised in warning. Tommy looks back at Billy, still wearing that shit-eating grin. “Uh,” He looks between the both of them once more, “Yeah… sure.”

“HAHA,” Billy says like a nut.

“HAHA,” Annie says like a tinier nut. “Oh shit!” 

Billy beams at her, looking so very proud. He wipes an invisible tear away as Steve exaggeratingly smacks his arm. 

Tommy hears Daniel laugh from behind him. Daisy smiles at her little sister. “Want some?” She asks. Annie leans over the table.

Daisy spoon feeds her a bite, “Oh shit!” Annie says afterward, eyes wide, as if taken aback by the flavor. Daisy cracks her shit up. 

Annie steps on the bench over to Billy, she steals his spoon with a helping of ice cream on it, turns to Steve and asks, “Wansum?”

Steve bites his lip though a smile, looks at her fondly, and opens his mouth. “Oh shit.” He says in a silly voice after, raising his eyebrows and bobbling his head. Annie cracks up, along with Billy. Tommy even finds himself joining in.

Annie’s eyes lock with Tommy’s as she turns her head, her little face pink with mirth. She offers him a spoon of Billy’s ice cream. “Wassum?”

Tommy grins at her, “I’m good.” he says. Before her face can fall though he adds, “But oh shit, thanks!” Crossing his eyes and raising his eyebrows.

Steve has to place a hand on her back to prevent her from toppling over as she laughs, throwing her head back. And it feels really good, that such an innocent little thing finds joy in something he did. Someone as useless as him. 

She turns to Daniel. He raises a thin eyebrow. “Cookie dough?” he asks before she can offer. “More like, Oh Shit!”

Billy twists his waist around to look at Daniel as Annie goes off in her little bubbly laugh. “Uh, frickin’ _rude!_ ”

“Uh, frickin’ _gross!_ ” Daniel yaps back.

Billy takes the spoon from Annie and uses it to flick some of his ice cream at Daniel. Daniel yelps and ducks. Daisy dodges Daniel’s head as it flies by and down onto the bench, out of sight.

“Daisy help!”

“HAHAHA!” Daisy says, looking down at him. Nuttiness must run in the family. She sticks her spoon into her cup. There’s a thump and a scramble as Daniel predicts what she's about to do. His head pops up behind Steve’s shoulder.

“ _Dad!_ ” He cries, shaking Steve’s shoulders.

“What? You think you’re safe with me?” Steve asks as he’s jostled. “They won’t hesitate to shoot,”

He runs behind Tommy next. “You won’t hit Mr. Hagan, right Papa?”

Billy’s shark grin returns, he licks his front teeth. “Oh yeah, what makes ya say that?”

The memory hits Tommy like a punch in the face. 

_‘Oh yeah, what makes ya say that?’_

A much younger Billy asks, looking down his long lashes at Tommy, cracking his fists. His chest exposed in his half open shirt, his hair cut down to a mullet, his earring dangling and catching a glint in the streetlight, grinning with his teeth, hungry like a predator.

Tommy had woken up in a hospital that night. He still has a scar running down behind his ear.

“Because you’re old friends or whatever!” Daniel interrupts. “Right!?”

“Uh,” Tommy says. “That’s right.”

Billy lets out a huff through his nostrils and smiles at Tommy. “Yeah, that’s right.” He pats a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “We’re friends.” 

Tommy could cry. Because Billy has always been a sarcastic bastard. But he sounds so genuine that he must be. Steve smiles at him too, even as he’s helping Annie to sneak more of Billy’s ice cream.

“I should probably go find the kid.” Tommy says, feeling overwhelmed. He lifts the bag they gave him, “Before it all melts.”

“Yeah, totally.” Steve says. “We should do this again sometime. With your kid, too.”

“Yeah.” Tommy stands. 

Steve nudges Billy with his foot. Billy jolts. He reaches into his pant pocket and hands Tommy a card. It’s got an elegant blue line drawing of a sailboat, _‘79 Sails_ it says. Along with Billy’s proper name and contact info.

‘ _William Harrington’_

“Thanks.” Tommy says, not at all like an awkward idiot. Definitely like an awkward idiot. “Bye.”

As he’s walking off he gets the urge to look back at them, and their happy family, all in one piece family. They wave at him. Tommy waves back. Because how could he not wave back, at least to a 3 year old? 

Tommy walks with his hands in his pockets, staring at the grass. Steve Harrington had bought him ice cream without hesitation. No hard feelings, nothin’. Even though Tommy was the one who got his face bashed in, the words he’d said had cut deeper than any flesh wound would’ve. Life was _real_ hilarious sometimes. 

It was always Tommy and Steve, getting up to mischief. Then Tommy and Steve and Carol. Then Tommy and Carol. Then Tommy and Carol and Billy. Then Tommy and Carol and Billy and Steve. 

He and Steve had reconciled; because of Billy. He was friends with Billy and Billy decided to be friends with Steve and Tommy decided he could also rekindle his friendship with Steve. Because Billy didn’t give a single fuck about what anyone thought and even if he didn’t say it, he would’ve picked Steve over Tommy and Tommy didn’t want to lose the new King’s good graces.

An unspoken ultimatum.

Even so, it was all good times once more. Steve had gotten comfortable telling Tommy things again. And Steve, so trusting, had told Tommy that he had a boyfriend. Tommy thought it was a joke but Steve didn’t laugh. Then oh. Oh. Tommy hadn’t taken that particular piece of news well. He said some real _ugly_ things. He’d pushed Steve off the wall they were sitting on and Steve, not expecting it, had fallen and fractured his elbow on the concrete. Then Tommy told Billy what he had said and done because Billy would understand. They didn’t need a fag like Harrington in their group. 

Billy had taken a _real_ long drag of his cigarette. Grinded it into the ground _real_ hard. And when Billy’s blue eyes had looked at him, burning hotter than Tommy’s brown ones ever could; Tommy knew he had fucked up. Because Billy was Steve’s new Tommy and then some, despite everything anyway.

Then it was just Tommy and Carol again. Then Tommy and Carol and Bryce. Then just Tommy. Just Carol and Bryce.

He finds Bryce sitting on the bottom of a slide, kicking up dirt. His face is hard as he looks up at Tommy.

“I got ice cream,” Tommy says. 

“Oh,” He says. “Okay.”

He follows Tommy over to the roundabout to sit. Bryce rifles through the back and takes out two cups, he takes his pick and hands one to Tommy almost like an olive branch.

And it’s goddamn Rocky Road; Tommy’s favourite.

He looks at his kid, thinks that maybe, things could be better. If he tried. If Billy and Steve could make things work despite it all, maybe he could too.

He doesn’t feel as guilty anymore, as angry. Maybe in a different time he would resent them for being happy, for being together. Because he wasn’t. But all it does is give him hope. Hope that he can have a family; that he can have happiness.

He looks down at his rocky road and thinks that things might just be looking up, all because of a little ice cream.

**Author's Note:**

> Daisy’s little ‘take names’ spiel was actually a typo but I ran with it. Hahaha.
> 
> Also, I wanted this to be a real self reflective thing. I hope it came across that way. This was meant to be shorter than it was but the story got away from me. Lol.
> 
> I might write a part two to this, leave me a comment if you want more. I'm kinda lovin' this AU tbh.


End file.
